Teen Thought He Was Meeting a Girl. But Prosecutors Say He Was Walking into a Deadly Setup

YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Prosecutors allege that 15-year-old Miles Young of Springfield, Missouri, was shot to death in his driveway by an 18-year-old male who ambushed him with other teenagers.

• Authorities allege Young was driving with a girl who picked him up when another car carrying the alleged gunman stopped and blocked the road.

• Young’s family and friends remember him as a caring, loving and kind person

A Missouri teenager who thought he was going to meet a girl was shot to death in a deadly trap set up by a group of teenagers, prosecutors allege.

Miles Young, 15, of Springfield, was shot and killed Thursday, March 12, in what investigators believe was a pre-planned ambush, according to a probable cause statement from the Green County Sheriff’s Office obtained by PEOPLE.

On March 31, 18-year-old Yefry Archaga was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the fatal incident, according to online court records.

Another teenager, 18-year-old Praize King, was previously arrested on March 18 and charged with the same crimes in connection with Young’s death.

According to the probable cause statement, on the night of March 12, a woman identified only as Juvenile Suspect 1 picked up Young in a black Mercedes “after leading him to believe the two were going to have sexual intercourse.”

Before the teen, identified as J1, met Young, he, Archaga and others drove around and discussed “preparing” for Young, according to the probable cause affidavit.

When he came to pick Young up, two friends identified as witnesses in court records told him not to go with her because they thought it was a “trap,” the statement said.

Witnesses told Young that the girl had “mentioned that she didn’t like him before” and blamed Young for the victim’s death in a 2025 murder case.

According to the documents obtained Springfield Daily Citizen, Young was supposed to testify at a murder trial in 2025.

While Young and the girl were driving, another car with Archaga inside blocked the road, forcing the Mercedes to stop.

Young got out of the car and tried to escape. But according to a witness, Archaga, who was wearing a black ski mask and carrying a “Glock-style handgun,” and another youth identified as Suspect 1, were heard yelling, one of them yelling, “Don’t run away now!” He chased Young while shouting. While they were chasing after him, according to the probable cause statement.

In the statement, it was claimed that an eyewitness who spoke to Young on the phone heard gunshots while he was running, then heard him fall to the ground and then shout, “I don’t want to die.”

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Young suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was later pronounced dead when taken to the hospital.

After a two-week search, Archaga was arrested March 31 in Webb City.

On a GoFundMe set up to help cover funeral expenses, the organizer wrote that Young “had a beautiful heart, was full of life and always cared about others.”

Archaga is being held without bail and remains in federal immigration detention, according to online jail records.

King is also being held without bail.

His lawyers did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Read the original article People